Losing weight over 40 years old can be far more of a struggle than shedding those pounds earlier in life. Hormonal changes, slowing cellular growth rate, built up toxicity in fat cells and the liver, and an over all decrease in energy levels are typical experienced when we enter our mid to late 30s. Combine lack of will power to commit to a healthier life style prevent triggering the bodies natural fat burning abilities - Your metabolic furnace.
Gradually activating your ability to lose fat is the key, it's simply a matter of 'flipping the switch' to weight loss, and following through simple, regimented steps. This can be done without drastic, over-night changes in diet and exercise, but with simple, easy to implement, incremental changes that can be done with very little initial effort.
Outlined below are 4 simple steps that can start using today to trigger your bodies built-in fat burning furnace with marginal effort.
- More sleep = Less weight?
It's well known that insomnia and chronic sleep deprivation can wreak havoc on the bodies natural hormone levels. But what's even more of a compounding factor is the type of food the body craves during prolonged lack of sleep - The unhealthy ones. Throw in the fact that after 40, healthy sleep cycles become harder to maintain as a natural progression of age, and you have the recipe for restless nights, and an unhealthy diet.
A clear connection between lack of sleep and weight gain can be boiled down to two, specific hormones, leptin and ghrelin, which regulate hunger. While sleep deprived the bodies ghrelin levels tend to increase as leptin levels decrease, which results in more craving, or feeling hungry. People deprived of sleep also tend to eat sugary or salty foods which are generally unhealthy to begin with.
Recent studies have shown that a good night's sleep is critical to losing weight and keeping it off. David Simon, a neurologist at the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California is involved in definitive research has shown that our bodies are indeed metabolically active when we are sleeping. The longer we sleep, the more calories our bodies naturally burn. Eating a late night meal or snack should still be avoided as food is not digested as efficiently as during the day.
- Super-charge you metabolism with fat fighting foods.
Many foods have naturally occurring fat fighting properties. Eating the right foods (big secret there) is key, but it doesn't mean you have to live on yogurt and a granola bar. Nutritionists have identified many specific foods that help to kick your body's natural fat burning furnace. Food is not the enemy. In fact it can be your powerful ally in trying to lose weight after 40.
Oats while typically associated with carbs are a whole grain and high in the satiety index. There means oats have power to make you feel full. Oats are also high in soluble fiber which cuts blood fat and cholesterol. Oats metabolize slowly and don't raise blood sugar, which can be helpful for diabetics in sculpting an individual diet plan.
The eggs reputation seems as turbulent as Brittany Spears relationship with the tabloids, but it turns out eggs are quite healthy in moderation. Eggs are essentially concentrated animal protein and include a type of cholesterol not found in the human body. But eggs don't contain the animal fat found in other meat, making them a lean source of essential protein. Studies have shown that people eat 1 egg in the morning are likely to lose twice the weight as people eating a carb-based breakfast.
Here's a shocker - skim milk. Skim milk lives up to it's name in such reputable publications as the Journal of Obesity and National Dairy Council have clearly shown that a combination of a low-fat protein source, calcium and vitamin D naturally trigger weight loss while helping maintain lean muscle mass. Non-fat
yogurt also has the same metabolic effect, though it doesn't get the news coverage.
Apples. Green, red, yellow, Fuji - all contain fiber. Fiber tends to make you feel full. Eating one about 30 minutes before a meal can keep you from eating too much or opting for desert. Apples are also very rich in pectin, which binds with water to help limit the amount of fat your cells are able to absorb. Antioxidants in apples may also prevent what is referred to metabolic syndrome, a pre-diabetes combo of unhealthy cholesterol levels high blood pressure. A couple apples a day can keep the fat away, to update the
time-tested phrase.
Cinnamon and spice make your tummy look nice? Cinnamon gives the body the ability power to help your body metabolize sugar more effectively.This is according to a USDA study involving diabetics. Amazingly one-quarter to two teaspoons of cinnamon daily has been shown to reduce levels of blood sugar and drastically cut cholesterol from up to 25% percent. If you are latte lover, sprinkle in a little of this magical spice and help your get rid of the added sugars.
This is of course only a partial list, and scientific studies discovering more metabolic stimulating properties in foods. In the end, eating the proper fat fighting food is really common sense, and the first step for losing weight over forty, and keeping it off for good!
- Maintain a healthy fuel to energy ratio.
Rapid, sudden weight loss can be not only unhealthy, but potentially dangerous. Drastic changes in diet don't always lead to long-term weight loss, especially over 40 years old. Given the bodies tendency to binge and purge, sudden deprivation or drastic changes in ones diet can cause you to eat even more, potentially leading to a rebound and putting on even more pounds. New Years resolutions are a great motivator, but you must see losing weight and keeping it off in the longer term.
Your body has gradually gained weight over time, and tends to do whatever it can to hold onto it. So in losing weight, especially after forty, you must make gradual adjustments to your diet and exercise regimen slowly. For effective fat-loss, you have to formulate your own 'fuel-in, energy-out' equation. It doesn't need to be complicated.
See your food in-take as the balance of a checking account, but in reverse. Your intake 'balance' should match your 'withdraw limit' - meaning you only eat the calories your willing to spend, or calories to burn.
Consider the recent story of a nutritionalist who lost 27 pounds eating only Twinkies and junk food for two months. Mark Haub who teaches at Kansas State University, set out to prove his "Snack Cake Diet" world work based on one simple concept -it's not about how much you eat, but what you eat.
Haub's own meticulously kept food diary records what he ate on a daily basis. His list included Duncan Hines brownies, Hostess Twinkies, Little Debbie cakes, Kellogg's corn pops (probably the healthiest of the bunch) and Cool Ranch Doritos. By trimming his daily caloric intake from 2600 calories 1800, he proved that it is truly about how much you eat. Haub's LDL cholesterol, had decreased 30 points, while his HDL, or 'good' cholesterol, went up 9 points. His triglyceride level also dropped an astounding 39 percent: and all from eating 'junk food'.
- Breakfast - Just Eat It!
And finally, the easiest change in diet after 40 - eat breakfast! Yes, it's that simple. What you decide to eat is of course your prerogative, though several natural fat fighting foods are referenced above. But where's the evidence that eating breakfast helps melt fat?
The National Weight Control Registry consists of members that have successfully lost at least 30lbs for 1 to 6 years. Of this group of long term biggest losers, 78% of those surveyed eat breakfast everyday. Even more, 90% reported eating breakfast at least five days a week. This is undeniable evidence that kicking off your day with at least a light meal can trigger your bodies metabolism to not only lose weight, but have higher levels of energy throughout the day. This is by far the easiest tweak to implement when seeking how to continue to keep weight off after losing it.
Long term success implies a long term plan. Subtle changes in lifestyle can have a noticeable effect within weeks. And remember: It only takes 3 weeks, or 21 days of repetition to form a long term, positive habit. And I'm assuming if you over 40 years of age, you've probably heard this one before:
"If not now... when?"
Interesting article on the subject
Weight Loss Optimal
